The Cars of East Germany - Trabant & Wartburg

The first part is a 70s commercial for the Wartburg 1000, which was produced in Eisenach, East Germany.

It was the "better' and more expensive car for East Germans compared to the much simpler and cheaper Trabant (Trabbi or "Rennpappe" which translates to "Cardboard Racer", a race (car) made out of cardboard paper, because the chassi of the Trabant was not made of Metall, like any other car at that time, but 'composite materials' and I am not talking about the kind of 'composite materials' that were used for cars like the "Vector" and other high end and custom build sports cars).

There were not much other choices anyway. You might have been able to get a Russian "Lada", a Czech "Skoda", an even worse Russian Moskwitsch (pronounced like Mosqwitsch, alternative spellings: Scaldia, Moskvitch, Moskwitsch, Moskvich, Moszkvics) and if you were really lucky, one of the few French Citroën GSA Pallas and Renaults (I think the 209) or Japanese Mazdas 323 FF (1980-1988) that were imported into East Germany.

The second part shows the East German "Trabant" factory of Sachenring Zwickau and answers the question (in pictures), why the people in East Germany had to pre-order their car 10-15 years before the order was actually fulfilled by the manufacturer. One of the worst examples of high demand and horrible supply.

Here is an interesting link to a Wartburg webpage with pictures and details to all Wartburg models, prototypes and customizations, such as the rare Wartburg Melkus, the equivalent of a Ferrari Enzo (yes, THAT one) for East Germans. It was at least as hard to get one of those Melkus as it is to get an Enzo today.

http://digilander.libero.it/cuoccimix/ENGLISH-automotorusse9-L(Wartburg).htm

Caption for the Wartburg Commercial

Here he is ...
125 km/h (ca. 78 mph)
excellent road holding
The new Wartburg 1000
a real 5-seater

trunk space for 57 footballs
modern coachwork design
the new Wartburg 1000
from the "Wartburg City" Eisenach

Audio Credits for the second segment (Trabant Factory)

Mono für Alle - Honecker komm zurück!
Full Lyrics: http://letras.terra.com.br/mono-fur-alle/1345511/
Full Song, video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1XspV1sRKg

and after that an old East German kids song titled "Wer will fleissige Handwerker sehn?" (Who wants to see busy craftsman?)

Category:

Education

Tags:

• wartburg
• trabant
• east-germany
• gdr
• ddr
• cars
• werbung
• doku

[KrupyFren]

socialism is step forward to utopia, capitalism is step backward from utopia. Both have their pros and cons. But when your rulers are gangsters you are in deep shit no matter what the regime is. Capitalist gangsters, communist gangsters they have no concern for the stare, they are just greedy for power and wealth, nothing else.

[pimpjuice5259307]

slimv29, it doesnt take long to build a trabant, it is rather quite easy and fast. What the problem was is that they merely had shortages of supplies to make the car. Remember, when your a socialist police country, you dont take in imports from other "democratic" and "free" countries, you have to produce them yourself. In east germany you had about three options, trabant, wartburg or take the train. Two car companies cant hold up a country of millions.

Gruss von Rheinland-Pfalz mein freund

[gothhearse]

wow, handmade now its done all by machines on most cars

[FnFTkyDrft]

Makes me proud to live in Zwickau :')

[Sohave]

@cheeriosinabowl I would buy one! the "Ikea P601" also known as "Erik"

[wrcfaAAAAAAAAN]

Handmade Car :DDD

[cheeriosinabowl]

Ikea should sell these cars ... then you could assemble them yourself. 50,000 pieces + instruction booklet.

[italokid80]

In Romania, I see (2011) on the streets few Wartburgs and Trabi's (I have photos), remainings of old inter-communist commerce. One excentric guy from Bucharest make luxury-limousine from an Trabant, he says already cost over 8000 euros. There's also the "Trabant" club (with parade, parties)

[12valvepower1]

capitolismo also created amc, ick

[12valvepower1]

@nightfrog65 yes. dkw style motors. dkw junior i think was base for trabi

[12valvepower1]

@casilias2 capitolism also produced the pinto. boooom.

[sha71608]

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